'The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.' – St. Augustine

My favourite tour in Central London (part 1)

In March, I went one more time to London and decided that I should write about the ‘tour’ I did once again. To be honest, if you do everything mentioned below you will need much more than one day. I personally tend to vary a bit every time. So just pick up your favourite place and enjoy!

A. Tower of London

You really need to visit the Tower of London once in your life. It may seem a bit expensive (25£ – 23£10 online) but whether you love flamboyant jewelry or stories of executions and conspiracies, the visit trough the medieval building built by William the Conquer after the battle of Hastings will definitely convince you that you made the right choice. I personally loved both! I was amazed in front of the biggest diamond in the world (Koh-i-Noor) and loved hearing about Ann Boleyn and Bloody Mary.

During my last trip to London, I also recently did a Jack the Ripper Tour (free) starting from Tower Hill tube station. Our guide Hillary was particularly good and managed to make us all feel like we were back in the late 19th century taking us to the crime scenes, not sparing us with any details and explaining us about the different suspects.

B. Tower Bridge

Every time I’m amazed by the striking blue of the Bridge, even when it’s raining. Their latest addition to attract visitors eventually convinced me to pay 8£ to get inside last year. Warning to people afraid of heights: this is not for you! Tower Bridge now lets you walk on a glass floor on top of the iconic taxis and double-decker busses. The rest of the visit is interesting but there’s nothing tremendous especially with regards to the price.

Follow the Queen’s Jubilee walkway and pass by the HMS Belfast that participated to D Day in Normandy in 1944. As everything else the visit is quite expensive (14£50-16)* but I must admit I really enjoyed the visit in this extraordinary place.

C. Borough Market

Roasting pork, muffins, vegetable, teas, fresh bread, mussels, … Borough Market is a nightmare for your diet resolutions but never mind! And if you’re not hungry, just eat with your eyes. It’s a probably the nicest food market in London though it’s starts to be very crowded with hipsters. Only open on Thu, Fri and Sat.

D. Tate Modern

Free. Old industrial building renovated to glorify modern art. Artwork from Matisse, Magritte, Miro, Dali, Giacometti and many more… Also many temporary exhibitions including a ‘giant’ one downstairs when you enter the museum.

Tip: Amazing and romantic view on the Thames and the Millennium Bridge in the bar on the last floor!